A Hard Time
by grka
Summary: A family has to deal with the near death of the small boy. Can the Angels help them to deal with the situation before it's too late?


Hello Everybody,  
  
after it got to silent here, I thought I should send a new story ;-)  
  
At first a VERY BIG THANK YOU to my Beta-Reader Leigh. A friend of mine and  
I gave her tons of work to do and she is still doing a great job with  
correcting our stories!!!! :-))))))  
  
Okay, now to my story. This story means a lot to me and there is a lot of me  
in this story. Everything that the sister is doing or thinking is true. You  
could say: it's me ;-) I wrote this story just after we got the news that my  
mom has a heart disease called Angina Pectories. I don't know much of this  
illness, but I think you can live with it. If anybody knows something about  
this, then tell me. Okay? But there is someone else in my family who has a  
problem with his heart. It's my dog. I love her more than my own live and  
she is the one who has to go soon. You could say that the little boy is my  
dog ;-) So enough told before, let's start with the story.  
  
BTW, comments are really welcome!  
  
Hugs,  
Grit  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own the angels Tess, Monica and Andrew. They all belongs  
to Martha Williamson.  
  
A hard time  
  
Tess, Monica and Andrew stood under a tree in front of a little church . They were invisible to human eyes. It was very hot day in the summer. Tess and Monica wore both white, flimsy dresses and Andrew wore a white shirt and light grey trousers.   
  
"Where are we, Tess?" asked Monica while she looked around. It seemed like a little village, but there were some things that looked different, like the license numbers on the cars.   
  
"What do you know about Germany, Angel Girl?" Tess asked with a glance at Monica.   
  
"We are in Germany?" Monica looked bewildered. It wasn't the first time that angels got sent all around the world, but it happened so seldom to herself.   
  
As Tess nodded, Monica answered, "I'm afraid I don't know much. I was never before sent to this country."   
  
"The last time I was in this country was when I was sent to the concentration camps." Andrew commented, as Tess looked at him. The memories of the thousands of dying people still caused some pain in his heart.   
  
"We are in Meine. It's a very tiny village in the north of Germany. We are here to help a family who moved here 2 years ago." Tess started to explain as she saw a young woman walking toward the church. Monica and Andrew followed her gaze. "Her name is Jannette Rausch. She is 17 years old and the oldest daughter in her family. She has a little brother named Marcel. He is 10 years old and he is going to die. He has a heart defect. He needs a new heart, but they won't find one in time."   
  
Monica looked at Andrew, the Angel of Death with a shocked expression. "Are you here to take him home?"   
  
"I think so," Andrew answered slowly with a questioning look at Tess.   
  
Tess nodded, "Marcel and Jannette are Andrew's assignment. You will be Marcel's male nurse. Last week he had a really bad heart attack and they almost lost him . He will come home this afternoon."   
  
"No! Don't tell me that I have to take both children home!" Andrew protested. It was hard enough to watch one child die, but two ... .   
  
Tess gave him a compassionate smile; she knew how he was feeling, "Don't worry, Angel Boy. Only Marcel has to go home. But his sister will need someone to talk to, someone who will help her to deal with the things that are coming. And the Father wants you to be the one."   
  
Andrew was evidently relieved.   
  
"Who is my assignment?" Monica asked impatiently.   
  
"You will work with their mother. Their father left them shortly after Marcel's birth. It took her some time to get over this and now ... she will lose one of her children."   
  
***   
  
Jannette walked toward the door of the little church "I can't believe that You're really getting me to do this!" she said and looked up to the sky. It was the first time that she tried to go into a church. She believed in God, but she was never a member of any religion. She hadn't found a religion with which she felt comfortable. Somehow, she had always had a strange feeling when someone told her what his religion taught about God. Some people told her that God would get angry if she wouldn't follow special things, and others told her that she had to follow a guy called Jesus and not God. Somehow, none of this gave her the feeling that she could identify herself with it. Jannette had found her belief in God 3 years ago, when her brother was diagnosed with the heart problem. Then, she tried to find any religion where she could be a member, but no matter how hard she searched, she always had the feeling that just wasn't 'her' place.   
  
One day, she decided to give up on this and follow her heart. And her heart told her that God would love her even though she wasn't a member of any religion and that she could talk to him no matter where she was.   
  
But today was different. She couldn't explain why, but she had the feeling that she had to go into that church. When she arrived the door, her heart beat faster. 'I'm crazy! Why am I so nervous? It's only a church...it's open for everybody,' she had to laugh about herself somehow. It felt as if she was trying to walk into a building where she had no business being.   
  
As she arrived the door and tried to open it, she found out that it was locked. "Great!" she said a little bit sadly to herself, but somehow she was also happy, because she now had a reason to walk away. "Alright! I promised You that I would try it, but now you can see ... it's locked." she said with a glance above.   
  
As Jannette turned around, she almost had a heart attack because there was a guy standing behind her. He had green eyes and long blond hair.   
  
"I'm sorry! I didn't want to scare you," he said when he saw her frightened face.   
  
"I'm not scared, I ... I didn't expect anyone else to be here. How long were you standing behind me?"   
  
"Not long," Andrew answered with a friendly smile. "I'm Andrew," he said and walked toward her.   
  
"I'm Jannette. I ... I just wanted to go inside, but it's locked up."   
  
"You should try it again ... I'm sure that it's open," Andrew said with a wink above as Jannette tried to open the door again.   
  
This time, the door opened without any problems. "I could swear that it was locked up when I tried it the first time," she said to Andrew, but he didn't response.   
  
When they walked inside, Jannette stopped for a moment. "Is everything alright?" Andrew asked with concern.   
  
"Yeah! I'm fine. It's only ..." she couldn't say it.   
  
"What?" Andrew knew already that answer, but he wanted her to tell him.   
  
"I've never been in a church before," Jannette answered slowly and a little bit ashamed. "I have the feeling that I have no business being here."   
  
Andrew put his hand on her shoulder and made her face him. "This is God's house. And EVERY single human being, no matter what they did or what they believe in, has the right to go inside whenever he or she thinks that they need to go. He loves His children," and then, Andrew added with a wink, "and He loves it when one of His children tries to visit Him."   
  
Jannette smiled at Andrew's last comment. She liked him, even though she didn't really know him. Andrew was the first person who spoke with so much freedom and concern with her about God. Sure she had met other people who told her that they believed in God and so on, but usually they changed the subject before she could get deeper with the theme. Sometimes Jannette had the feeling that many people believed somehow in God, but nobody talked about it. Every time she tried to talk to someone about it, she earned strange looks.   
  
But that guy was different. He didn't simple quote something he heard somewhere. He seemed to know what he was talking about. The concern and love in his voice and the look in his eyes told Jannette that he REALLY believed in what he said. It was as if he knew God personally, as if He was his best friend.   
  
"Thank you," she said slowly and walked toward the rows near the altar.   
  
As she started to talk with God, Andrew sat down and prayed to his Father, too.   
  
After both finished, they walked outside. "Thank you, Andrew," Jannette said "I didn't realize how much I needed this. I'm sure I would have gone if you hadn't appeared."   
  
"Sometimes we don't know what we need until we get it," Andrew replied softly.   
  
"Maybe you are right."   
  
As Jannette looked at Andrew as if she was searching for some answers, he asked her, "What's wrong?"   
  
"Nothing!" she answered quickly. "It's only ... I was asking myself if you are the minister of that church."   
  
"No! I'm not. I'm new in this village. I just arrived and I'm still looking for a place to stay and work. I have a friend named Monica who works not far from here, but I can't live there because her apartment is too small for two people."   
  
"What do you do for a living?" Jannette already was thinking how she could help this man, who had helped her few minutes ago.   
  
"I'm a male nurse. Usually, I help people who are terminally ill," he answered gently.   
  
"Hey, that's a coincidence. My mom and I are searching for someone like you," Jannette said enthusiastically. "You see my 10 year old brother has a heart defect. We almost lost him two weeks ago and he will come home from the hospital this afternoon. My mom has to work for our living and I still go to school. He needs someone to take care of him till my mom or I get home. We tried to find someone, but the few people who applied for the job ... well, let's say ... I wouldn't like to meet them on the street, let alone at home ...! Would you like that job? We have a free room, too. I'm sure my mom will like you. too."   
  
Andrew could see the hope in her eyes before he answered, "I would love to take care of your brother."   
  
"Great!" Jannette said and when she looked at her watch, she added "If we hurry, we could catch my mom. She will leave for work in half an hour."   
  
When they arrived the door, Jannette stopped, "Andrew, can you promise me something?"   
  
"What?" he asked curiously.   
  
"Please, don't tell my mom where I was today. My mom ... lets say ... God, church and religion ... that's a red flag to her. If you mention God or something like that to her ... she will kick you out before you have finished your sentence. I think that she is very angry at God." Andrew could see in her eyes that it hurt her and that she worried about her mother.   
  
"I promise you that I won't get you in any trouble."   
  
***   
  
"Mom? Are you at home?" Jannette called as she opened the door.   
  
"Yes, honey! I'm in Marcel's room," called a voice from the other side of the floor. The flat wasn't very big, but there was room enough for four people to live there.   
  
"Wait a moment!" Jannette said as she walked toward the door.   
  
"Mom? I have someone with me," Jannette started "He is a male nurse who is searching for a job and a place to stay. He is new here and ..."   
  
"Wait!" Jannette's mother raised a hand. "You bring a stranger with you and ask me to give him a place to stay? How can you know if he told you the truth? He could be an escaped killer or someone like that ..." she said. Jannette's mother was a woman of about 40. She had long blond hair in a ponytail and was very careful about strangers.   
  
"I'm not an escaped killer," came a male voice from the door. Andrew could hear the objections of the woman and he could understand it. He WAS a stranger and Jannette couldn't know if he had told the truth or not. He walked over to the woman and reached his hand out, "Hi. I'm Andrew."   
  
Maike, Jannette's mother, took his hand and said "Hi, I'm Mrs. Rausch." All her objections and fear disappeared when she took his hand and looked into his eyes. But she didn't want to show this now. "Alright, Mister! Only because we don't have time for another option ... I will give you a chance. But I swear to you ... IF I should find out that you hurt one of my children ..."   
  
"That will NEVER happen," Andrew assured. He loved children and he would NEVER hurt one of them.   
  
"Alright. I will bring Marcel with me when I come home after work. He had a very bad heart attack two weeks ago. He needs much rest and no excitement. The only problem is that he doesn't seem to understand it. But the next attack could be ..." she couldn't finish the sentence.   
  
"I promise you that I will keep an eye on him. It's hard for children to understand that they have to stay in bed if they seem to be feeling fine," Andrew answered gently.   
  
"He doesn't have to stay there the whole time, but most of the time. At least until we find a new heart for him."   
  
After Maike left, Jannette showed Andrew where he could find everything before she left to school, too.   
  
***   
  
It was almost 5 p.m. when Maike brought Marcel home. Marcel was a really cute boy with short brown hair. He was thinner than other kids of his age, but Andrew could see the mischief in his eyes.   
  
When Marcel was in his room, Andrew appeared in the doorway. Marcel's mother was at his bedside and told him about the new guy. "Hi. I'm Andrew!" He walked over to the boy with a big smile on his face.   
  
"You are the guy who my mom told me about?" he asked carefully.   
  
"Yep! You could say I'm your personal butler," Andrew joked.   
  
Marcel look first at his mother and when she nodded, he got a big smile on his face, too. "Cool!" and then he added, "I hope you knew what you were doing when you asked for this job."   
  
"Oh don't worry, I knew what I was doing."   
  
***   
  
"Good morning!" Andrew greeted everyone when he walked into the kitchen.   
  
Maike was fixing breakfast as she turned around, "Morning! How did you sleep?"   
  
Andrew smiled, "Great! And how are you doing?"   
  
"The kids will be up in few minutes" Maike answered shortly and turned back to the breakfast that she fixed.   
  
Andrew could see that she tried to avoid that topic. He walked closer before he spoke again, "Hey, I know I'm new here, but I can see that you're not doing well!" With a look at the door, he added softly, "I know it's hard to see your child dying. You need to talk to someone. I have a friend named Monica. She is a counselor for families like this who have to deal with a fatal illness."   
  
"Do you have children, Andrew?" Maike asked. She tried her best to hide her tears, but Andrew could see them.   
  
He shook his head. "No, I don't have my own children, but I have seen many dying children in my life ... more than I would like. Some of them died slowly and more painfully than Marcel. Believe me, I know what you are feeling."   
  
"I don't think so! You CAN'T know how I'm feeling!" she answered angrier than she wanted. She knew that Andrew was only trying to help her and she felt miserable when she looked into his eyes and saw that her words hurt him.   
  
"I ... I'm sorry Andrew! I didn't want to sound so ... so .... I'm really sorry! It's only that I don't know how to get through this! The doctor says that he will have a chance when we find a new heart, but my feeling tells me that we won't find one in time." Maike didn't try to hide her tears anymore.   
  
"I know. It's okay, I'm not hurt. But you need some help, you need someone to talk with. What would you say if I ask Monica if she has time for you after your work?" Andrew asked hopefully.   
  
"That would be great, but I can't. Marcel has a doctor's appointment this afternoon and Jannette needs someone to drive her to her karate lesson."   
  
Andrew raised his right hand, "Don't worry about that. I can take care of that, too. You won't help your children if you break down one day because you didn't take the time to get help."   
  
Maike gave up. Something told her that this man wouldn't accept a 'no'. But somehow she was also glad that he persuaded her to meet that woman.   
  
"This smells ... well, a little bit ... burned," said Jannette who appeared together with her brother at the door.   
  
"Oh nooo!!!! I forgot the eggs!" Maike cried as she tried to save a part of it.   
  
***   
  
The day went by quickly. Andrew and Marcel spent most of the time in the garden behind the house. After lunch, Thomas, a school friend of Marcel, came to visit him. He told him what was new and what they had learned so that Marcel could catch up with the subjects. Later in the afternoon, shortly before Jannette got back from school, the boy took a nap.   
  
"Hi Andrew," she greeted the angel when she entered the room. "How was your first day?"   
  
"Hi! It was great!" Andrew answered with a smile. "And yours?"   
  
"Well, a normal school day, you could say," she replied carefully. In the past, she loved school. But since her brother got sick, Jannette's thoughts were more with her brother than in school.   
  
"Mom told me that you will drive me to my karate lesson this afternoon?"   
  
"Yes, I will take you there and, after Marcel and I have visited the doctor, we will come and watch you."   
  
"Thank you! Then I will go and do my homework. After my training, I would be too whacked for algebra!" With a sad smile, she walked into her room.   
  
***   
  
Mike stood in front of the office door of the woman that Andrew had talked about.   
  
As she knocked at the door, a female voice with Irish accent called to her. "Hi, I'm Monica! You must be Maike Rausch!" The woman greeted her with a warm, friendly smile.   
  
"Yes, I am. Nice to meet you," said Maike as she walked over to the desk.   
  
"Nice to meet you, too. Please, have a seat." Monica walked around her desk to sit down in the other chair next to Maike's. "Andrew told me about your son. How do you deal with all of this?"   
  
"I'm afraid ... not so well. I try to keep myself busy enough so that I don't have the time to think about it."   
  
Monica and Maike talked for almost an hour before Maike left. At the door, Monica stopped, "I'll give you my phone number. If you need someone to talk, no matter what the time, even in the night, feel free to call me! Okay?"   
  
Maike nodded with a weak smile, "Thank you! Andrew was right, it was a good idea to come here."   
  
***   
  
One week later:   
  
Marcel lay in his bed. It was afternoon and he needed some rest. Andrew sat by his side and read from a book of fairytales until the boy slept.   
  
"You are doing a great job!" said a voice from the door.   
  
As Andrew turned around, he saw that Jannette was walking over to him. "Thank you!" he answered with a smile. "It's not often that I get so much time with a child in my job. I like your brother. He is really cute."   
  
"Yeah ... but he also can get on your nerves with his jokes," the girl joked, but Andrew could see that she only tried to hide her true feelings. "How can you deal with this?" she asked with more concern after a moment. "I mean, you said it's your job to work with people who are dying. I see my brother, he is only one, and when I try to imagine how it must be to have this as a job ..." Tears appeared in her eyes. During the last months, she had to watch as her brother got weaker and as he slowly died. There was always that up and down swing of her feelings between wanting to run away ... not have to see her brother like this day by day, and wanting to spend every free second with him.   
  
Andrew could feel her thoughts and unspoken questions, her feeling of guilt for wanting to run away, the guilt for wishing it would be over. "Come on! Lets take a walk," he said with a soft voice and stood up. "Your brother will sleep for the next few hours, and I think we need to talk."   
  
The angel put his hand on Jannette's back as they both walked out of the door.   
  
***   
  
"It's not easy for you, is it," Andrew started as they walked through the garden behind the house.  
  
"No. Sometimes I have the feeling that ... ," she couldn't finish.   
  
"Sometimes you have the feeling that you only want to get away from everything. Right?" Andrew asked with a compassionate look.   
  
Jannette was too ashamed to look into his eyes. She only nodded, "Yeah. I know it's selfish. Marcel also can't simple run away ..." Jannette sobbed.   
  
"Shhh ... it's okay! It isn't selfish." Andrew hugged her softly. "Believe me, it's normal that you feel this way."   
  
"But I feel so guilty. Do you know what I pray in the evening?" She had never told anybody this before because she was afraid of the reactions. As Andrew shook his head, she continued, "When we got the diagnosis, I prayed that God would help him to get healthy again, but now ..." she released from his embrace and needed a moment before she spoke again, "I pray ... I pray that it's over soon. I ask Him to let Marcel die. The only things I want Him to do is to not to let it happen in the night; not to let Marcel be in any pain, that it's going to be quick and that I will be with him when it happens." Jannette gasped, "I can't believe that I 'm telling you this! I'm sure you hate me for this. Right? And I'm sure God does hates me for thinking this, too."   
  
Andrew took her head between his hands. "No!!! I don't hate you!!! And God doesn't hate you, either. He loves you! He knows how you are feeling. And please, believe me there is nothing to feel guilty about. It's normal!" He stroked her hair as he added with a compassionate smile, "I'll tell you a secret ... sometimes I pray the same as you. You see, death is not the end ... it's the beginning of a new life ... a life in eternity. It's nothing to be scared of. And sometimes ... as hard it may be to believe ... sometimes it's better. Sometimes it's worth praying for when there is only pain and agony without any way to recover."   
  
"You are telling me that to give up hope is a good thing?" Jannette asked in an unbelieving voice..   
  
"No, I'm not telling you to give up hope. With God there is always hope. But sometimes, when people are in the last stage of a fatal illness, hope isn't the hope of recovery, it's the hope of eternal life without any pain, with the possibility of doing EVERYTHING again." Andrew led her to a bench. "You see, when you pray for those things ... well, it only shows how much you love Marcel ... how much you want him to not suffer."   
  
Andrew embraced Jannette again and let her cry for almost an hour.   
  
***   
  
One afternoon when Monica visited the family again, like she had during the last weeks, she and Maike sat in the living room and talked.   
  
"Monica, I don't think that I can bear one day more," Maike got tears in her eyes. "I love Marcel, but I can't watch him die anymore. Every morning when I walk into his room, I can see that another part from him seems gone. It's too hard to see him suffer. It breaks my heart. Why has this happened to him? He is only a little boy. He deserves better."   
  
Monica got tears in her eyes, too "I can't tell you WHY, because I don't know the reason. Nobody knows why. It's something that happens all the time. But I promise you, that you don't have to go through this all alone. God is with you ... "   
  
Before Monica could finish her sentence, Maike was on her feed. "NEVER mention God when you talk to me!!!! There CAN'T be a God!!!"   
  
"But there is one and He loves you!" Monica wanted to start to glow, but the voice of the Father told her that Maike wasn't ready yet and that she had to wait.   
  
"NO!!! I don't want to hear this! GET OUT OF HERE!!!!" she yelled at Monica.   
  
***   
  
At the same time in Marcel's room:   
  
"Andrew? Can't I ask you something?" Marcel asked with concern as he lay in his bed.   
  
"Sure, buddy! You know you can ask me EVERYTHING that you want," Andrew sat down beside the bed. "What is it?"   
  
"I'm dying. Right?" Marcel asked with fearful voice. As Andrew didn't answer quickly, the boy added "I can feel it! I can't explain it, but I have the feeling that death already is in the room. I can't talk with my mom about this. It would hurt her too much. Please Andrew, you are my friend. Tell me the truth!" he pleaded.   
  
Andrew sighed. It was hard enough to tell an adult that he is going to die, but it was much harder to tell a child this news. "Yes, you are right. You will die soon."   
  
Marcel started to cry softly, "I don't want to die! Mom needs me."   
  
"Your mom is going to be okay. I promise you," Andrew stroked Marcel's hair softly.   
  
"But ... but I'm afraid," Marcel said with a quiet voice.   
  
"Of dying?" the angel asked tenderly.   
  
Marcel only nodded quietly.   
  
"Shh ... Don't be afraid, please! There is NOTHING to be afraid of, I promise you!" Andrew replied with a compassionate smile. "Do you trust me?"   
  
"Yes."   
  
"When you will die, you will go to a wonderful place where you can play with friends. You will be able to run and jump again like you haven't been able to for a long time. And you won't have any heart pain. I swear to you!"   
  
"You are talking about heaven?!" the boy asked incredulously.   
  
"Yes, I'm talking about heaven," Andrew answered with the biggest smile that he could make.   
  
"Mom says that this is only wishful thinking. At least, she said that before I got sick."   
  
"I promise you that it isn't wishful thinking. Heaven really exists and it's the place where you will go soon," the angel answered with all his concern and love in his voice. "And I promise you something else ... there will be an angel who will bring you there."   
  
"An angel?" Marcel asked with big eyes.   
  
Andrew laughed, "Yes, an angel."   
  
Marcel was deep in thought for some moments before he spoke again. "Can I tell you a secret?"   
  
"Sure, if you want to tell me."   
  
"I didn't tell it to Jannette or anyone else. When I had my last attack, you know that one before you came to our family ... I thought that I would die. In the ambulance and later in the ICU ... there was a guy. I can't remember much, but I remember that he had short grey hair and wore a white suit and he glowed. He talked to me ... he told me not to be afraid ... . Was he one of those angels?"   
  
Andrew listened to the voice of his Father Who told him that it was Adam who had been there. "Yes, he was one of those angels. His name is Adam."   
  
"How do you know that?"   
  
"Because Andrew is one of those angels, too. Right?!" commented a voice from the doorway.   
  
As Andrew and Marcel turned around, they saw that Jannette stood in the door.   
  
Andrew looked at her. He hadn't expected her. "How do you get that idea?"   
  
"I don't know. It's only a feeling. When you talked about death in the park ... . You ARE one of those angels?! Right?"   
  
"Yes, I am one of those angels," Andrew replied.   
  
With a swift glance at her brother, she walked closer to Andrew. "You are an Angel of Death? You are here for my brother?!"   
  
The angel nodded again, "Yes, I am. And I'm here for you, to help you to deal with it."   
  
"I knew that something was special about you, but not that ... !" It was hard to believe, that they had an angel in their home.   
  
After a moment, Jannette continued. "What you told me ... in the park few weeks ago ... do you really pray that sometimes?" she asked in a low voice.   
  
Andrew sighed and answered with a sad smile, "Yes! Sometimes, I pray for that. But not every time."   
  
"Andrew?" Marcel asked after he recovered a little bit from the shock. Somehow it was too much for him. "Are you going to kill me?" he asked with a voice full of fear, confusion and panic. This time it was Andrew who looked shocked. "No!" Andrew shook his head and started to glow. "No, I wouldn't kill you. I would never hurt you! I'm here to help you. I will be with you when it happens and I will show you the way home to heaven." Andrew put his hand on Marcel's hand and looked with compassion and love into the boy's eyes. "Please Marcel, don't be afraid! God loves you and He doesn't want you to be alone when it happens. That's the reason why he has sent you an angel to be with you."   
  
Before one of them could say anything else, they heard the kids' mother yell at Monica. With a short glance at each other, Andrew and Jannette hurried to the door.   
  
***   
  
As they arrived at the door, they could see that Monica hurried out of the flat with tears in her eyes. Andrew called her name, but she didn't even look at him. At the other end of the floor stood the children's mother. She had also tears in her eyes, but there was also anger.   
  
"Mom? What happened?" Jannette asked worried as she saw the tears in her mother's eyes.   
  
But Maike only shook her head, and answered, "Nothing!" and walked back into the living room.   
  
Jannette and Andrew changed concerned looks, "Is Monica ..."   
  
"An angel?" Andrew finished her sentence with a smile. "Yes, she is."   
  
"What happened between them?"   
  
"I don't know." Andrew shook his blond head.   
  
"Go after Monica. She looked like she could use a friend right now. I will try to talk with my mom," Jannette said and walked toward the room. A little voice inside her told her what must have happened.   
  
She slowly open the door and looked inside, "Mom? ... What happened?"   
  
"Leave me alone. ... please, Jannette."   
  
"I thought you and Monica were friends. What did she do that made you so angry?" Jannette asked softly and walked over to her mother.   
  
Her mother stood at the window and looked outside. She could see that Andrew was there, probably searching for his *friend*. She didn't turn around when she heard her daughter. "I thought so, too, but ..."   
  
As her mother didn't speak again, after a moment Jannette asked, "What? What did she do?"   
  
"She ... she started to talk about ... about God." Jannette's mother turned slowly around. "I told her that I don't want to have that name mentioned here! I told her that I don't want to hear anything spoken on that topic."   
  
"And she nevertheless talked about Him. Right?" It was more a statement than a question.   
  
Her mother nodded, "You know my opinion about that theme!"   
  
"What's so bad about believing in God?" Jannette never really understood why her mother got so angry every time someone talked about God.   
  
"Because there can't be a God!!!" Maike yelled at her daughter. "If there was a God then we wouldn't have to go through this!!!"   
  
"Mom, please listen to me ... there is a God," the girl walked toward her mother. "I never told you this because I was afraid of your reaction, but ... I've believed in Him now for almost 3 years. I know He exists!"   
  
"How can you say this!!?? Don't tell me that there is a God when your brother is lying in his bed and dying slowly!!! Go to him and TELL him that there is a God, but he still has to die!!!!"   
  
"He knows it! And he knows something else ... he knows that Andrew is an angel like Monica. He knows that Andrew is the angel who will bring him to heaven."   
  
"Shut up!" her mother yelled at her. It wasn't because she was angry at her daughter; it was more because Jannette spoke about the death of her brother. It hurt her too much to even think about that.   
  
"But she speaks the truth," sounded a soft male voice behind them. As Jannette and her mother turned around, they saw that Monica and Andrew stood behind them. Monica wore a white silk dress and Andrew wore his beige suit. Both were surrounded by a soft glow. "We ARE angels sent by God ... to give you a message."   
  
"You ... you ... are really angels?!" Maike couldn't believe what she saw, but her heart told her that these two people spoke the truth.   
  
Andrew and Monica both nodded with compassionate smiles. "Yes, we are," Monica answered. "And what I told you then ... it's true, too. God is with you and your children through this difficult time. He wants sooo much to help you, but He CAN'T! You have to ask Him at first, before He can give you the strength that you need," Monica explained. And with a look at Jannette, she added, "Jannette has found her way to God, even though you did everything to keep her from believing. She has asked Him to help her and He did. Isn't it so, Jannette?"   
  
Jannette nodded. She had tears in her eyes, but also a smile of joy, "Yes, He did. He is the only thing that keeps me from going crazy because of my fear."   
  
"But ... WHY doesn't He help us? Why does my little boy have to die like this? Where will He be when it happens?!" Maike sobbed.   
  
"I know it's hard to understand," Andrew answered softly. "God doesn't want to see you or your children suffer because He loves you! But, even though He has the power to heal your son ... He won't do it. You see, when He created this world, He knew that the good things can't exist without the bad things. Every good thing has also something bad. You CAN'T separate them. When there is light ... there is automatically also darkness. If you try to eliminate the one ... you will also kill the other, too. If God would try to take away the pain and the fear, then He would also take away the love and the joy. And He loves His children too much so He would never do that! Even though He won't heal your boy, He promises you that He will be with him and with you, when it happens and that He will take care of him until you will get to see him again one day. I swear to you that Marcel will be happy there."   
  
"You ... you are the Angel of Death?" Maike asked, incredulous and fearful.   
  
"Yes, I am." Andrew sighed. He hated to tell a mother that he was going to take her child home.   
  
Maike got so pale, that Andrew and the others were afraid that she might pass out at any moment. "No!!! Please, it can't be his time," she pleaded.   
  
"No, it's not his time yet," Andrew walked toward Maike and took her in an embrace and added softly, "but his time is coming soon." He could feel how she trembled in his arms.   
  
Monica walked toward Jannette and hugged her, too. They both were crying.   
  
"I can't lose him! I love him so much, but I also can't see him suffer like this anymore" Jannette's mother sobbed on the Angel of Death's chest.   
  
Andrew rubbed her back gently as he answered, "I know and God knows this, too. He will help you and your daughter through this, if you let Him. I promise you that Marcel won't suffer anymore. He will be happy and full of joy. He will be surrounded only by love. I promise you."   
  
Maike somehow knew that Andrew wouldn't tell her when it would be her son's time, but it helped her to know that there were angels with them, especially with her son. The idea that Marcel would be able to do things again that he couldn't do anymore for a long time helped her, too.   
  
After she calmed down a little bit, she looked into Andrew's eyes. "Does Marcel know who you are?"   
  
The angel nodded, "Yes, he knows. I was telling him about myself as you and Monica had your fight."   
  
Maike turned around to the other angel when Andrew said her name, "Monica? Oh no ... I'm so sorry that I yelled at you. I ... I was so scared of losing my son that I didn't want to hear anything about a God who would let my child die. I know now that I was wrong. Can you forgive me, please?!"   
  
Monica was still crying but she manage a big smile as she walked toward the woman to hug her too. "Sure, I will forgive you!"   
  
Andrew knew that there was still something for him to do. His conversation with Marcel was interrupted by the fight of the boy's mother with Monica. As he entered the boy's room, Marcel was still lying in his bed. He had become too weak during the last few days to stand up.   
  
"What happened?" he asked the angel who stood still in the doorway.   
  
"Your mom got angry at Monica, but don't worry ... everything is okay now," Andrew explained.   
  
"Is Monica an angel, too ?"   
  
Andrew laughed, "Yes, she is." He took the chair beside the bed and sat down. "She is here to help your mom and your sister when we both are gone. I promise you that they will be fine."   
  
As Marcel heard the last part of Andrew's sentence, he got quiet and his thin smile vanished from his face.   
  
The angel could see the fear that appeared in the boy's eyes. "Marcel, I know you are afraid ... I can see it, but I promise you ... there is NOTHING to be afraid of. I will be with you the whole way to heaven." He took Marcel's hand and stroked his hair, "You've known me for almost a month now and I think we've gotten to be really good friends ... Do you really believe I would lie to you and lead you to something terrible??"   
  
Marcel shook his head. He liked Andrew very much and he didn't mean to hurt him. "No, I don't believe that. I ... I trust you, but ..."   
  
As he didn't finish the sentence, Andrew asked, "What? What is it that you are so afraid of?"   
  
Marcel turned his head away from the angel. "It's not the death-thing, that I'm afraid of. ... It's more the dying itself. I'm afraid that it will hurt and that it will take long. When I remember my last attack ... ." The memories of the pain in his chest and the difficulty breathing were still fresh in his mind.   
  
Andrew wasn't sure what he should answer him. He couldn't promise that it wouldn't hurt, because he didn't know how it would happen and there really was a chance that it could be painful for the boy until a doctor would arrive. He wished he could have an influence over the kind of death, but he hadn't. He sighed, "I know what you mean. I can't promise you that you won't have to go through something like that again, before we can go, but I promise you that I will be at your side and take your hand. ... Believe me, I pray for you that it won't happen that way," he said softly with a few tears in his eyes.   
  
The next three days went by without any crisis. Andrew was still Marcel's nurse and a counselor for Jannette. Both kids liked to be around the angel, even though they knew why he was there. His presence gave something soothing and peacefully.   
  
Monica spent most of the time with Maike and helped her through the days and the nights. Jannette and Maike spent as much time together as they could with Marcel, talking and playing. Andrew and Monica met in the meantime with Tess.   
  
In the night after the fourth day, Marcel woke up because his chest ached and it got harder to breath. Panic raised up inside him because it was dark around him and he was alone in his room. He knew that it was the moment when it would happen. He started to cry silently, 'Andrew, where are you? You promised to be here ...,' he pleaded fearfully in his mind.   
  
"I'm here, like I promised you," came a soft and smooth voice as the room light up. Andrew appeared at his side. He wore a beige suit and radiated the same soft glow as he had a few days ago. He knelt down so that his eyes were on the same level with Marcel's. "Don't be afraid. It won't take long. I promise you!" he said as he stroked the boy's hair.   
  
"I want to see mom and Jannette," Marcel said with a weak voice.   
  
"They will be right here. Monica is getting them," Andrew said with a compassionate smile.   
  
At that moment, Jannette and her mother walked into the room. They already knew what was going to happen. They both cried hard when they saw Andrew at the bedside.   
  
"Mom?"   
  
"Yes honey! I'm here. And so is your sister," his mother walked toward the bed and took her son's hand. Jannette stood at her side and Monica behind them.   
  
"It ... It ... it's going to happen ..." Marcel started.   
  
"Yes, I ... I know," his mother replied through her tears.   
  
"Do you know what's strange? ... I'm not afraid anymore. ... Promise me ... that you ... will be ... okay?! Because ... I WILL be ... there can't be anything bad ... when an angel like Andrew is ... with me."   
  
Andrew smiled at the child's last comment and then he looked into Maike's eyes, "He is right! There isn't ANYTHING bad where he is going."   
  
Maike could see compassion, love and truth in the angel's eyes like she had never seen before. "I believe you. But promise me that you will take good care of my baby on his way to the other side," she asked quietly.   
  
"I promise you!"   
  
"Mom? Do you .. promise me ...," he couldn't finish the sentence because of the pain and the difficulty breathing.   
  
Maike stroked her son's hair and nodded, "I promise you."   
  
Jannette stroke her brother's arm, "And so do I."   
  
Andrew stroked softly the back of his hand over the Marcel's cheek. "Don't fight anymore. It's time for you to let go and rest." As Marcel closed his eyes, he took his last breath and died in peace.   
  
Both Jannette and her mother felt into Monica's arms and cried hard. But Monica got the word from the Father that he had a special gift for both of them.   
  
"Jannette, Maike? God wants you both to see something ..." she pointed to the door.   
  
There were Marcel and Andrew who walked together toward a great bright light. Marcel stopped and turned back to his mother and sister. He smiled and waved a 'good-bye' to them. And he showed them that he could jump and run again. His mother and sister laughed as they saw that joy and happiness were back in his eyes.   
  
Andrew put his arm around Marcel and leaded him into the light with a last compassionate smile at the two women and one angel who were left behind.   
  
As soon as they both were gone, Jannette and Maike said at the same time, "Thank you, God, for being with us through this and for sending us your angels."   
  
And a white dove flow outside against the sky.   
  
The End   
  



End file.
